<nettime> artdemo version 01 REPORT : MELTINGPOT OF NEW MEDIA ART IN TOKYO

["OKADA, Tomohiro" <tomohiro@coolstates.com>]

meltingpot of new media art demonstration from tokyo

artdemo version 01

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reported by OKADA, Tomohiro (tomohiro@coolstates.com)
translated by NAKAGAWA, Eriko (http://www.shift.jp.org/$B!K(B

May 2nd, 2002  venue at Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art, Japan
organized by artdemo committee http://coolstates.com/artdemo/

If you like to read this report with pictures and broadband videos and
related links
please see a web site bellow,
http://coolstates.com/artdemo/artdemo01tenpyo_e.htm

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>> The existing things and things that we are looking for in the belief
that they exist. Although it is unfortunate that we can't find these
things when we want to, there is possibility in some degree that we
don't get them. If the misfortune happens to many people, the people
will be disappointed and gloomy. The media art in Tokyo is suffering
this misfortune. Many people say, "Media art is boring and annoying."
and the opinion is being fixed. It has a good reputation in London, New
York, Linz and Taipei, etc; however, there is something dull in the
center of media art. Not only the audience but also the artists
themselves (especially whose works achieved public recognition abroad)
started understanding this. If people can find the things they are
looking for, the misfortune will go away and unprecedented art will
begin.

>> Using an electric medium, Japanese artists are developing a new
approach towards the audience and society. The artists market their
works themselves. A cubic robot developed on the contemporary art
paradigm (Noboru Tsubaki), the development of educational electrical
toys (Hiroyuki Moriwaki), the t-shirts that turn into multiple art works
(Ryota Kuwakubo) and more varies from conceptual things to scientific
education, design and general merchandise. It is said that the Japanese
educational system needs more scientific education. Doing everything by
themselves and a self-starting attitude is as important as exhibiting
their works at museums and galleries. It carries more weight when you
require a close association with the real world. Looking for some
commitment, developing new things and exploring the frontiers where they
can lay a firm foundation, Japanese pioneers, leaving the White Cube,
start to talk to the audience directly more than letting their works or
projects talk.

>> Many people share same feelings when a new fad or development begins.
Contemporary art imposes unnecessary pressure and many audiences wants
to touch the brilliance of artists and enjoys art in outside of the
White Cube. In Japan, there are many people that have dissatisfied
feelings with art. On the other hand, there are also people that love
good design and look for it throughout their lives. The world hopes to
meet the artists and art which develops empathy and culturally feeds the
audience. 

>> "The media artist's plan is given life by working upon the
audience.", "And the audience yearns for something fully attractive,
understandable and intriguing." These possibilities and convincing art
events will dissolve the misfortune and make intellectual happiness.
They must be a milestone. The participation of both audience and artists
must make a new common sense of creation. Believing that, I set to work
on "designing" a new art event.

>> I named the art event "artdemo", a project demonstration by the
artist. The name must be simple and easy to understand and of course it
should not be tasteless. "Tokyo Arts Market" is one of the well
established projects supported by the administration. Performing artists
promote their performing group and repertoire to theater managers.
Although performing art is just a small part of art, they named it
"Tokyo Arts Market" (*notes; English title is "Tokyo Performing Arts
Market" but Japanese title means just "Tokyo Arts Market") , and it is
because performing art has a power presence in Japan. Media art in Japan
has existed but has been overshadowed by other aspects of art. "artdemo"
brings media art to light. It reveals what is really happening.
Technologically capable artists can have a great opportunity to show
their works or projects and make them more convincing. The audience can
take the artist's idea into their mind and can try to find a new idea of
their own. This event took the form of demonstration and it packed the
expression, the creativity and the development of the market. It should
have been an opener for a new art events being established in society.

>> Planning the first artdemo, I did not wanted the event to become just
a showcase but to show the dynamism of already existing success and make
people notice that some of the success still needs to breakout.

Keynote Presentation:
TSUBAKI, Noboru + MORIWAKI, Hiroyuki
>> The artdemo started from the keynote speech which was given by
well-known contemporary artist, Noboru Tsubaki, and the great artisan,
Hiroyuki Moriwaki. Noboru Tsubaki made a huge grasshopper shaped figure
on a towering hotel (Intercontinental Hotel) for "Yokohama Triennale",
the biggest international art festival in Japan last year. He has been
seeking for the limit of technology in art projects. Hiroyuki Moriwaki
makes kinetic installations into excellent entertainment and he also
worked for KOBAYASHI Sachiko (Japanese famous singer who always prepares
electric spectaculars for the Japanese biggest music festival "Kohaku
Utagassen"). His distress is that there is few people to express
themselves by building their engineering techniques on their own. So he
started to concentrate on developing students at Tama art university.
>> The students involved with Tsubaki and Moriwaki's project gave
presentations. Tsubaki and Moriwaki complemented them and spoke of their
visions. They mentioned the "Inter Medium Institute Graduate School" in
Osaka where Tsubaki and his students develop useful methods for media
art, making everyone understand and actually make the electric
expressions by testing computerized control robots. Like the product
development laboratory of Sony or Panasonic, Moriwaki assembles a new
product from small pieces of electronic components and explains how to
do it. "Moriwakit" encourages the students to understand and practice.
He combined these cubic robots "Robocube" and programmed the
demonstration. After an hour, a number of people played a number of
robots and it became music. The robots, the music software and
everything on the demonstration has already been marketed or is being
marketed. Not their works but their demonstrations give them new
chances. After the two artists, other artists gave presentations. They
are gaining international reputations.

KODAMA, Sachiko + TAKENO, Minako
>> Sachiko Kodama and Minako Takeno were roommates in the postgraduate
course of Tsukuba University where you can accomplish electronic
technology as much as art. They presented "PROTRUDE, FLOW" to SIGGRAPH
last year and were featured on WIRED. The strongest impact their works
give. "PROTRUDE, FLOW" is the work that magnetic fluid responds to sound
and change its shape. It looks like just black ink but once you make
noise, you will find a flower shape there. Surprising and beautiful. At
another work "PULSAE", a dish on a banquet table contains the magnetic
fluid. When someone approach the installation, the soup generate various
creations. The installation will be shown all over the world. The
response of audience is of high interest. They stressed that they will
continue to make art works using science. 

minim++ / CHIKAMORI, Motoshi + KUNOH, Kyoko
>> Motoshi Chikamori and Kyoko Kunou announced they work under the new
name of "minim++". Their installations deal with shadow. They have great
interactivity and give the feeling it has not been computerized too
much. As they became a unit and it breaks the limit of their own, they
are going to interact with many artists and make a platform beyond art.
Their key word is "++". "Toys, interior and everything around life is
becoming media. In that situation, artistic approach can put new steam
into them.", they explained. A interactive picture book were presented
by putting their experience of many installations. They appealed the
importance of media art which definitely has a space to contribute to
our lives.

UDA, Atsuko
>> Her unique FLASH works won the grand prize and the first prize of
Canon Digital Creators Contest. Atsuko Uda won the prize of similar
contests in Japan tow years in rows. When She was studying Interior
Design at art college, she studied access program at film-making school
and at the same time she entered IAMAS wanting to make digital movies.
Using hand-drawings or photos, she made her ordinary life into dramas or
comedies. This method must be brought by her varied experiences. Her
works have a kind of Japanese exoticism and you can't find anywhere
else. She gave the demonstration navigating her online portfolio and
explained her works. She was like a excellent storyteller and the
audience was drawn into her works. A new appeal of web sites were found
through her demonstration. She seemed to gain the highest approval from
the audience. 

KUWAKUBO, Ryota 
>> Ryota Kuwakubo introduces himself as a "device artist". He is an
artist and artisan who make everything by himself. Each of his works has
high quality and well designed. His web site functions as the attractive
brochure of his products. He told his ideas and explained his works with
showing his site. The hand-held LED display shows a dancing animation.
This is the electric accessory "Bitman (already marketed)". He gets
ideas from his wish to make fun and cute but with little meaning things.
Then he makes the ideas real by himself. Not only devices but also web
programming he made. For example, a Java applet "Bithaiku" on which you
draw within 8 by 8 matrix. With limitation, you have to demonstrate your
creativity like Japanese HAIKU. Kuwakubo said he could not help making
things, so he finally started to develop games for portable game
machines and arcade game machines. He invented a small device as well.
When you put the device on RCA terminal of TV, it shows the images of
Bithaiku. The series of his idea attracted the audience.

Photon
>> There is a company trying to improve company value with the media art
experiences. The last demonstrator was Team Photon. They have a unique
policy to "develop games without killing and fighting". The member of
the team contains an architect, a graphic designer doing VJ at club and
so on. They all empathized with the policy. Giving presentations and
making their ideas well understood, they use the art projects. One of
their works is clothes that emit light when they receive radio waves of
mobile phone. While developing a game, the the interactions are set to
an art project. Through the project, Photon's ideas and creativity
become more clear to people. The online project "Rhythm Engine" provide
a virtual universe exploration. When you explore it, sound remains as
your traces and you make music session with those who use the same
application. The cyberspace becomes a mean of communications. Art is the
way to express their creativity and it gave Photon credit in game
industry, media education, design, etc. They stretch their fields where
adopt their ability and expression.

Special Presentation 
GOTOH, Tomio
>> The artists in this events focused their attention on Tomio Gotoh,
ex-NEC semiconductor engineer. He has a great experience in computer
industry. One of his projects was to release ahead of personal
computers. After that, he directed the project of developing DOS
machines, that dominated the market and furthermore he brought out the
very first game machine with CD-ROM. He is an art-lover and has a wide
acquaintance of contemporary artists. Ingo Gunther received the advice
and technique from Gotoh. Retired from NEC at the age of 55, he is now
freelance engineer. 
What a pleasure it is that he gave a demonstration! 
Consider from his ideas and ability to get things done, Gotoh must be a
more than artist. The audience got the encouragement from his speech
that the endless source of creativity let you continue to create things
on your own.
>> Combining many technologies of Japan, America and the other
countries, he makes new products. One tip tuner, micro hard disc and
small display which can be incorporated in glasses. What can be made
with those? 
Something new is coming out of his brain more freely. The audience and
the artists were enchanted with his talk and excellent insight into the
engineering field. Gotoh also announced that he wants to support the
enthusiastic younger generation and the possibility to corroborate with
highly motivated artists.

 >> The event fused the technology, the movement and the esthetics. It
was a melting pot to inspire people's creativity and gave us something
definitely. The preparation of next artdemo has started yet.

end

artdemo committee official site : http://coolstates.com/artdemo/


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OKADA, Tomohiro
Master of Art and Industries / Information Studies
Managing Director: Cool States Communications
Laboratories

web site > http://coolstates.com/

contact:
e-Mail: tomohiro@coolstates.com
fax (+81) 3-5520-6751

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